Key Takeaways
- The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE affords complete options for simply $200.
- The intense AMOLED display is nice for outside use.
- Battery life could possibly be a priority down the highway.
Samsung’s finances gadgets do not typically obtain a lot fanfare, however when you ask me, they’re regularly the corporate’s most compelling choices. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is a powerful cellphone, however let’s be trustworthy, outdoors of Samsung diehards, most individuals are higher off shopping for the Galaxy S24 or one of many firm’s much more inexpensive A-series handsets. So it is stunning that it took Samsung until this past June to announce a Fan Version (learn: finances) model of its common Galaxy Watch smartwatch. Much more stunning is how simple the Galaxy Watch FE is to suggest.
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Samsung Galaxy Watch FE
Regardless of costing solely $200, the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE appears like the whole bundle. It affords practically every part somebody who desires to enhance their well being would possibly have to get extra out of their exercises and sleep.
- Solely $200
- Strong health and sleep monitoring
- Vibrant AMOLED display
- NFC included
- Giant show bezel
- Battery life could possibly be higher
- Solely out there in 40mm dimension
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Value, specs, and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE is on the market in three colours: Black, Silver, and Pink Gold. On the time of the writing of this evaluation, Samsung is barely promoting the Bluetooth model of the FE, which you should purchase for $200. An LTE variant will arrive later this 12 months and value $250. As issues stand, the Galaxy Watch FE is on the market in a single dimension: 40mm. I examined the Bluetooth mannequin in Black.
What I appreciated in regards to the Galaxy Watch FE
It would not really feel compromised
After spending two weeks with the Galaxy Watch FE, the factor that stood out to me was how full it felt. From a characteristic standpoint, there’s little that’s lacking right here. Take health monitoring, as an illustration: Like its dearer siblings, the FE can course of 100 completely different actions. With built-in GPS and coronary heart price monitoring, the monitoring is as strong as what you will discover on Samsung’s dearer wearables.
As a bicycle owner, I used to be in a position to configure the FE for zone two training. As you’ll be able to see from the pair of screenshots beneath, the watch made a dramatic distinction. On the experience the place the watch warned me after I was pushing myself too exhausting, I managed to manage my coronary heart price for practically 80 % of the exercise.
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I used to be additionally impressed by how rapidly the FE acknowledged after I was ready at a cease signal or crimson gentle. Inside seconds, it could pause the exercise to make sure it wasn’t gathering junk information. Equally spectacular are all of the supplementary well being options. Exterior of a lacking temperature sensor, the FE affords every part I might count on from a contemporary smartwatch, together with sleep monitoring and blood oxygen monitoring. It might even take physique composition measurements, and throughout the board, all of those options work properly and are useful.
The FE is just not missing in trendy smartwatch options both. It comes with an NFC modem, enabling help for cell funds by means of Samsung Pay and Google Wallet. The one annoyance right here is that you would be able to’t reassign the shortcut Samsung set to rapidly launch Samsung Pay, forcing you to make use of one among your treasured few different shortcuts for Google Pockets when you desire to make use of that platform as a substitute. Fortunately, you’ll be able to freely drop Bixby for Google Assistant.
Aside from a smaller 1.2-inch display, the FE shares the identical design because the Galaxy Watch 7. I did not thoughts the chunky show bezel, partially as a result of the FE’s AMOLED panel seems to be nice. It is vibrant, brilliant, and straightforward to learn, even in harsh daylight. With a watch face that contains a black background, the bezel can also be simple to disregard, due to the deep blacks provided by OLED tech. In contrast to the Apple Watch SE, the FE’s AMOLED show even comes with an always-on characteristic.
One other space Samsung didn’t reduce prices on was safety. Along with being IP68-certified in opposition to water, Samsung hardened the show in opposition to scratches with sapphire crystal glass. I did not strive bumping the show, however I did take the look ahead to a swim in a cool Canadian lake, and it got here out simply nice.
After spending two weeks with the Galaxy Watch FE, the factor that stood out to me was how full it felt.
As I discussed above, Samsung is providing the FE in three completely different colorways. Value noting right here is that every mannequin comes with a color-matched silicone band. Moreover, the FE makes use of the identical clasp mechanism as its dearer siblings, so it’s potential to make use of bands relationship way back to these Samsung initially designed for the Galaxy Watch 4. I discovered the band that got here with my evaluation unit made the FE snug to put on all day, together with after I went to sleep.
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What I did not like in regards to the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE
Battery life is a priority
On condition that the LTE variant solely prices $250, it is wonderful all of the options Samsung determined to pack into the Galaxy Watch FE. For essentially the most half, the corporate’s cutbacks really feel affordable.
Notably, the Galaxy Watch FE options an older Exynos W920 chipset, which Samsung has paired with 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of inside storage. The corporate announced the W920 in 2021. On the time, it was the business’s first 5nm chipset for wearable gadgets. However three years is almost an eternity within the cell world, and the W920 is beginning to present its age in 2024.
On condition that the LTE variant solely prices $250, it is wonderful all of the options Samsung determined to pack into the Galaxy Watch FE.
From a efficiency standpoint, the Galaxy Watch FE is, at finest, serviceable. Navigating Put on OS would not really feel as snappy because it ought to, with animations which might be sluggish to render. I additionally seen various hiccups within the two weeks I had the FE. As an example, after I went to log my day by day water consumption, the watch would generally register my tapping however not add to my whole depend.
If the Galaxy Watch FE is your first entry into the world of smartwatches, otherwise you’re coming to it from an older system, I feel you’ll discover the efficiency to be nice. Like I mentioned, it is serviceable. However what you’ll discover is the FE’s restricted battery life. That is as a result of, along with outfitting the watch with an older, much less environment friendly processor, Samsung gave the FE a 247mAh battery.
For context, the 40mm variants of the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 7 characteristic 300mAh batteries. In absolute phrases, a 247mAh battery may not appear a lot smaller than a 300mAh one, however neither the Galaxy Watch 6 nor Galaxy Watch 7 are recognized for his or her battery life.
On standby, the FE can go about 34 hours on a single cost. In fact, even reasonable use can dramatically have an effect on uptime. I think about myself an lively particular person. My girlfriend and I stroll a minimum of 10,000 steps most days; within the spring, summer time, and fall, I experience my bike virtually day by day; and after a protracted, pandemic-enforced absence from the health club, I just lately acquired again to weightlifting. In case your days look one thing like mine, be ready to cost the Galaxy Watch FE day by day, particularly when you plan to reap the benefits of its sleep monitoring.
I fear how properly the FE’s battery will age and what the watch can be like to make use of a 12 months or two after somebody buys it.
On days after I wore the FE to mattress after which used it to trace my morning bike experience, it had about 35% battery after I arrived house at round 8am. Discovering time to cost the watch wasn’t a problem. Though the FE is restricted to charging at 5W, the battery could be practically full by the point I sat all the way down to work at 9, offered I took it off to cost shortly after strolling by means of the door.
That mentioned, I fear about how properly the FE’s battery will age and what the watch can be like to make use of a 12 months or two after somebody buys it. Though I used the FE’s exercise monitoring characteristic day-after-day, there have been different capabilities I turned to much less typically. For instance, I did not measure my physique composition day-after-day, nor did I take advantage of the watch to take heed to music on my bike rides. I used to be additionally frugal with the show’s always-on characteristic. For those who’re an influence person, you are most likely higher off contemplating one among Samsung’s different smartwatches or a competing option from Garmin.
Do you have to purchase the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE?
As I discussed above, essentially the most outstanding factor in regards to the Galaxy Watch FE is how full it feels. Certain, it’s not the quickest smartwatch I’ve examined, nevertheless it does include practically every part else I feel most individuals may need from a health tracker. Battery life could possibly be a priority down the highway, however when you’re somebody who’s simply beginning out on their health journey, that is the Put on OS watch to purchase.
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Samsung Galaxy Watch FE
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